1. Field of Invention
Articles and methods consistent with the present invention are related to yarns for woven fabrics, and woven fabrics, specifically cotton and non-cotton denim.
2. Background
Woven fabrics can be created from a wide variety of yarns. The choice of fiber determines the qualities and characteristics of the fabric. Accordingly, different fibers are chosen for different types of fabrics.
Fibers can be characterized into the following general categories:                Natural fibers—these fibers are produced from naturally occurring materials, and include yarns such as cotton, wool, linen, silk, cashmere, and others known to those skilled in the art.        Regenerated fibers—these fibers are produced from naturally occurring materials, but require further chemical reprocessing to be manufactured into filaments or fibers suitable for making into yarns. Regenerated fibers include viscose, rayon, tencel, modal, and other fibers known to those skilled in the art.        Manmade or synthetic fibers—These fibers are generally produced from petroleum-based chemicals, and include polyester, nylon, acrylic and others known to those skilled in the art.        
Throughout history, all kinds of plants, roots, animal hairs and other naturally occurring products have been used to create natural fibers. The popularity of each material is often determined by the availability of the raw materials, or the relative difficulty of converting the raw materials into yarns suitable for the creation of textiles. The most common natural fibers are cotton, wool, linen and silk, with each fiber exhibiting different desirable qualities, as well as drawbacks.
Silk is very fine, smooth and soft, and can exhibit very bright colors. On the other hand, silk is very difficult to acquire and is also quite expensive to produce. Wool is a very good insulator, is durable, and makes a wonderful fiber for suits. Unfortunately, consistently acquiring wool of equal quality can be difficult, and it can be relatively expensive. Linen is very dry and is very good at keeping the body cool in hot climates, but it is hard to produce, and finding yarns of consistent quality can be difficult. Cotton is the most widely available natural fiber, and therefore, it is used in all kinds of textile products; from underwear to socks, trousers to jackets, and casual clothing to formal clothing. Cotton is also the most reasonably priced fiber in the world. Cotton has a familiar and desirable feel. Cotton fibers also tend to be the easiest natural fiber to produce.
Throughout the years, a wide range of machinery has been developed to aid in the formation of yarns and fabrics made from these natural fibers, with unique equipment being developed for each type of fiber. For example, the machinery used to create wool fibers and fabrics cannot be used for cotton, linen or silk, and vice versa.
Regenerated and synthetic fibers are often developed to mimic the qualities and characteristics of natural fibers while using other source materials such as wood, leaves, linters and petroleum-based chemicals. For example, viscose and rayon were developed to compete with cotton; nylon was developed to compete with wool; and polyester was developed to compete with silk. While theses regenerated and synthetic fibers can be created such that some of their properties surpass those of natural fibers, they often come with specific drawbacks. For example, regenerated and synthetic fibers often exhibit strength superior to that of the natural fibers, but also have an unpleasant feeling on the skin. While regenerated and manmade fibers have become successful and have found a place in textile industry, the search continues for regenerated and synthetic fibers that look and perform like natural fibers without any accompanying drawbacks.
Denim fabric is currently one of, if not the most, popular fabrics in the world. Denim can be found everywhere, denim can be worn by everyone, denim is strong, denim is casual, denim is sporty, denim can be formal, denim can be worn during the week and weekend, day and night.
Accordingly, there is a great amount of interest in creating denim fabrics using fibers other than cotton to produce denim which exhibit the desirable qualities of these fibers. For example, denim has been produced from silk, rayon and tencel fibers. Silk denim, for example, can result in a bright shiny fabric that is very soft to the touch, and exhibits a very luxurious look. Unfortunately, these silk denims are very expensive and cannot be produced in large quantities due to the low availability of silk. Silk denims also do not take well to finishing processes such as scraping or stone washing. Silk, viscose, rayon and tencel fibers require special laundering treatments which raise the cost of producing the denim. Similarly, wool denims can be very expensive to produce, and are not good for hot climates.
Accordingly, the production of yarns and textiles that exhibit the desirable properties of silk without the accompanying expense would be very beneficial. In particular, if such yarns and fabrics could be produce from a widely available fiber like cotton, it would be even more desirable. Finally, if such yarns and fibers could be produced using the machines and techniques currently available for cotton fibers it would be even more desirable.